Individuals following a ketogenic or low carb diet often see significant results. However, there are often various side effects. One of the most common side effects is what some call “keto breath” or diet bad breath. On the keto diet, bad breath is a common reality.
With little or no carbs, ketosis dry mouth is common. Few know that a prolonged dry mouth, however, can cause lasting damage to your teeth and gums. Although it is expected as normal with this way of eating, it should always be taken seriously. There is a link between keto and gum disease (more on that later). Let’s first understand what is going on in the body and mouth.
Keto Diet Bad Breath – Why does it Happen?
Keto breath is a term used to describe intensely bad breath that occurs in individuals who are using a low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet. This stimulates the ketosis process within the body.
Ketosis is a specific metabolic state in which the number of ketones present in the body’s tissues is higher than what is considered normal. Low carb dieters believe ketosis is the ideal state because it encourages the body to burn stored fat.
Ketones, especially acetone, a specific form of ketone, are excreted by the breath and through urine. Keto breath often creates a fruit-like smell that is particularly strong. It is not only possible to smell it, but can leave a keto taste in mouth cavities. A metallic, dry-mouth feeling tends to occur.
Acetone Breath — An Unpleasant Realty
For those on a low carb diet, keto breath seems like a distraction or something not to be too worried about. However, it is a warning sign for a potential problem. In terms of the diet and your overall health, this type of breath is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it causes changing conditions within the mouth.
The drying out of the mouth is very worrisome for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it encourages the production of potentially harmful bacteria. These bacteria can cause significant damage to your gums and teeth if left unchecked.
It is also important to point out that many people seek a ketosis breath remedy because having stinky breath is very embarrassing. When your mouth and every word you speak smells like fruit that’s beyond its prime, you can find yourself being socially isolated and worried about what others may think. Nobody likes to be near someone with poop breath.
Acetone Breath Remedies – Incomplete and Inadequate
Many people experiencing keto breath will find a number of rather simple solutions that are offered by various low-carb sites. Many of these solutions, however, are incomplete and do not address one of the biggest risks, which we will cover below. What are common solutions often offered:
- Drinking more water. It is important to drink plenty of water on a low carb diet. However, drinking more water may not get rid of the constant dry mouth feeling that is so common with this diet.
- Eat parsley. This is another common recommendation for treating keto breath, but it only really masks the smell. It does nothing for the drying out of the mouth, the uncomfortable feel, or the underlying complications.
- Brush more often. Brushing your teeth is important, but this recommendation still will not help to moisten the mouth long-term. Moreover, brushing too often and not in the correct manner can actually do harm to your tooth enamel and contribute to a receding gum line.
- Eat keto breath mints. This common recommendation is actually a very big problem. keto mints contain a large number of artificial ingredients (and sometimes sugar, too) that lead to further damage to the teeth. Artificial dyes and artificial sugars can have a cumulative negative effect over time also.
- Use mouth wash. Most mouthwashes contain alcohol. Alcohol can kill bacteria. However, it dries out the mouth further, creating a problematic situation in which bacteria can actually flourish. Sometimes mouthwash also contains Triclosan and fluoride in it, both of which are worrisome for your health. Furthermore, it may contain such food dyes as FD&C blue no. 1 and FD&C green no. 3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Fluoride are additional ingredients that are controversial. One solution free of these substances is OraMD toothpaste.
As you can see, most of the recommendations for treating keto breath are not in and of themselves ideal and are not complete. They may contribute to a further drying out of the mouth, which can lead to further damage. If you plan to maintain a low carb diet, then you will need to learn more about how to best manage keto breath long-term.
Keto Dry Mouth – How it causes problems – Keto and Gum Disease
Does ketosis cause dry mouth? Yes, it does!
Before considering a solution for keto breath, consider why it is absolutely risky to allow the use of these types of “treatments”. If you use any product or method that dries out the mouth, it will lead to a complex problem. Here’s what happens.
Before rushing to buy alcohol Mouthwash, remember that can cause a drying out of the mouth.
The moisture within the mouth is vital to protecting your gums and overall tooth health. It is the moisture within your mouth that actually helps to wash away the uncontrolled bacteria present there.
When a person suffers from dry mouth on keto, especially chronically, the bacteria is able to flourish. When this happens, the mouth bacteria develops quickly. This creates a buildup of plaque and inflammation of the gums.
As it worsens, it pulls the gums away from the teeth (receding gums), exposing the root. And, as that occurs, the bone of your mouth becomes infected and inflamed.
This condition may progress from gingivitis to periodontitis, possibility leading to receding gums and tooth loss if left unchanged.
So the key to healthy gums and teeth is to create an environment in which your body is able to naturally heal itself and function keeping naturally occurring bacteria under control.
How to get rid of bad breath on keto diet? Deal with the underlying dry mouth condition. So how do you do this? How to you get rid of dry mouth on keto? You do so by making sure to use a solution that will effectively control and kill periodontal bacteria.
How to Cure Keto Breath?
While nobody can promise a cure for keto breath, understanding what is going on will help you to take control.
Fighting off keto breath is important, but avoiding drying mouth is even more essential (Read that again). One solution is to daily use natural tooth oils that are proven to kill bacteria. The oils kill the bacteria in the mouth, yet will not dry out the mouth.
Many mouth solutions such as toothpaste and mouth rinse are used daily, but they are quickly rinsed out. They do not stay in contact with the bacteria.
Apart from the irritating toothpaste ingredients, they do not provide the long-lasting presence that oils provide. The oils are not rinsed out, therefore, remain in the crooks and crevices of the gums and teeth, where periodontal bacteria must be combated and controlled 24×7.
Botanical oils, such as peppermint, spearmint, and almond oils are very effective at treating the ketogenic diet breath because they accomplish the following:
- They kill naturally the bacteria that are causing keto breath to occur in the first place. The oils remain in the hard-to-reach vulnerable areas of your tooth and gum crevices.
- They keep the mouth moist, thus allow the body’s natural production of saliva to cleanse the mouth routinely.
- Essential oils also have a fresh taste and smell to them – further helping to curb those smells and leave a low-carb mouth smelling fresh.
Here is what you need to remember about keto breath. If you have it, that means you are likely consuming a very low number of carbohydrates. For some people, this is a safe diet and a very effective way of losing weight. You need to curb keto bad breath, however, if you plan to continue to follow this protocol.
Therefore, you should prepare in advance and incorporate the best type of oral hygiene in order to protect the gums and teeth. Damage is often more difficult to reverse. So it only makes sense not to let it happen in the first place.
Too many people in the ketogenic or low carb way of eating neglect the possible risk to their dental health. The risk is amplified by a very important point.
| According to the Centers for Disease Control, 47.2% of adults at age 30 are at some stage of periodontal gum disease. By 65 years of age, the number skyrockets to 70.1%. |
These percentages reveal a very sobering reality for low-carb dieters. From this information, we can deduce that most people who start a keto or low carb way of eating already have some underlying periodontal gum disease in progress.
So with low carb diet ketosis and the possibility of dry mouth, this is a recipe for accelerated damage to the gums and teeth if not dealt with properly.
Read that again!
It is essential that you are reversing gum disease on a daily basis with your habits and dental care. Does keto breath go away? Yes, but you need to deal with the dry mouth condition and keep the mount bacteria under control.
You risk long-term periodontal damage due to out-of-control bacteria and their destructive consequences if you do not properly guard against one of the side-effects of a low carb or keto diet.
Some say that the mouth is the gateway to your health. If your dental health is compromised, then so is your over health. Protect yourself from dry mouth.
Use the Best Keto Bad Breath Remedies
Do not achieve one goal (fat loss) while creating another problem (tooth loss). Achieve your fat-loss goal, but do so while protecting the gateway to your health, your teeth, and gums. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is a worth a pound of cure.” Do not put it off.
Learn more about what you can do to protect your gums and keep your teeth.
Discover how an essential oils remedy for was scientifically proven to effective kill common bacteria that are involved in gum disease. The are proven to kill periodontal bacteria, keeping your mouth fresh and coated so that your body can properly heal and care for itself. Don’t mess around!
Use essential oils for keto dry mouth and ketosis breath. Click below to learn about a proven keto mouth remedy.
Discover how to protect yourself using the best dry mouth and keto bad breath remedy.